A “rebound relationship” is commonly understood as a relationship that is initiated shortly after a romantic breakup—before the feelings about the former relationship have been resolved. However, little research has examined the consequences of quickly beginning new romantic relationships after another has ended. In two studies we examined people who experienced a breakup and assessed their well-being, their feelings about their ex-partner, and whether they were seeing someone new. Analyses indicated that people in new relationships were more confident in their desirability and had more resolution over their ex-partner. Among those in new relationships, the speed with which they began their relationship was associated with greater psychological and relational health. Overall, these findings suggest that rebound relationships may be more beneficial than typically believed.
AronA.AronE. N.SmollanD. (1992). Inclusion of other in the self scale and the structure of interpersonal closeness. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 63, 596–612.
2.
BrumbaughC. C.FraleyR. C. (2006). Transference and attachment: How do attachment patterns get carried forward from one relationship to the next?Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 32, 552–560.
3.
BrumbaughC. C.FraleyR. C. (2007). Transference of attachment patterns: How important relationships influence feelings toward novel people. Personal Relationships, 14, 369–386.
4.
ChungM. C.FarmerS.GrantK.NewtonR.PayneS.PerryM.StoneN. (2003). Coping with post-traumatic stress symptoms following relationship dissolution. Stress and Health, 19, 27–36.
5.
CohenJ. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences. New York, NY: Routledge.
6.
DavisD.ShaverP. R.VernonM. L. (2003). Physical, emotional, and behavioral reactions to breaking up: The roles of gender, age, emotional involvement, and attachment style. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 29, 871–884.
7.
FraleyR. C.BonannoG. A. (2004). Attachment and loss: A test of three competing models on the association between attachment-related avoidance and adaptation to bereavement. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 30, 878–890.
8.
FraleyR. C.MarksM. J. (2007). The null hypothesis significance testing debate and its implications for personality research. In RobinsR. W.FraleyR. C.KruegerR. F. (Eds.), Handbook of research methods in personality psychology (pp. 149–169). New York, NY: Guilford.
9.
FraleyR. C.VicaryA. M.BrumbaughC. C.RoismanG. I. (2011). Patterns of stability in adult attachment: An empirical test of two models of continuity and change. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 101, 974–992.
10.
FraleyR. C.WallerN. G.BrennanK. A. (2000). An item-response theory analysis of self-report measures of adult attachment. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 78, 350–365.
11.
FrazierP. A.CookS. W. (1993). Correlates of distress following heterosexual relationship dissolution. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 10, 55–67.
12.
FrazierP. A.HurlimanL. (2001). Post-traumatic stress disorder following low and high magnitude events. Unpublished manuscript, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA.
13.
FreiJ. R.ShaverP. R. (2002). Respect in close relationships: Prototype definition, self-report assessment, and initial correlates. Personal Relationships, 9, 121–139.
14.
GerstelN.SarkisianN. (2006). Marriage: The good, the bad, and the greedy. Contexts, 5, 16–21.
15.
Johnson-GeorgeC.SwapW. (1982). Measurement of specific interpersonal trust: Construction and validation of a scale to assess trust in a specific other. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 43, 1306–1317.
16.
KammannR.FlettR. (1983). A scale to measure current level of general happiness. Australian Psychologist, 35, 259–265.
17.
KitsonG. C. (1992). Portrait of divorce: Adjustment to marital breakdown.New York, NY: Guilford Press.
18.
KlinenbergE. (2012). Going solo. New York, NY: The Penguin Press.
19.
LargrandL. E. (1988). Changing patterns of human existence: Assumptions, beliefs, and coping with the stress of change. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas Publisher.
20.
LewandowskiG. W.JrAronA.BassisS.KunakJ. (2006). Losing a self-expanding relationship: Implications for the self-concept. Personal Relationships, 13, 317–331.
LundD. A.CasertaM. S.DimondM. F. (1986). Gender differences through two years of bereavement among the elderly. The Gerontologist, 26, 314–319.
23.
ManerJ. K.DeWallN.BaumeisterR. F.SchallerM. (2007). Does social exclusion motivate interpersonal reconnection? Resolving the “porcupine problem”. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 92, 42–55.
24.
MearnsJ. (1991). Coping with a breakup: Negative mood regulation expectancies following the end of a romantic relationship. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 60, 327–334.
MollerN. P.FouladiR. T.McCarthyC. J.HatchK. D. (2003). Relationship of attachment and social support to college students’ adjustment following a relationship breakup. Journal of Counseling & Development, 81, 354–369.
PerillouxC.BussD. M. (2008). Breaking up romantic relationships: Costs experienced and coping strategies deployed. Evolutionary Psychology, 6, 164–181.
29.
RhoadesG. K.Kamp DushC. M.AtkinsD. C.StanleyS. M.MarkmanH. J. (2011). Breaking up is hard to do: The impact of unmarried relationship dissolution on mental health and life satisfaction. Journal of Family Psychology, 25, 366–374.
30.
RosenbergM. (1965). Society and the adolescent self-image. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
31.
RusbultC. E.MartzJ. M.AgnewC. R. (1998). The investment model scale: Measuring commitment level, satisfaction level, quality of alternatives, and investment size. Personal Relationships, 5, 357–391.
32.
SaffreyC.EhrenbergM. (2007). When thinking hurts: Attachment, rumination, and post-relationship adjustment. Personal Relationships, 14, 351–368.
33.
SbarraD. A.EmeryR. E. (2005). The emotional sequelae of nonmarital relationship dissolution: Analysis of change and intraindividual variability over time. Personal Relationships, 12, 213–232.
34.
Seiffge-KrenkeI. (2003). Testing theories of romantic development from adolescence to young adulthood: Evidence of developmental sequence. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 27, 519–531.
35.
SlotterE. B.GardnerW. L.FinkelE. J. (2010). Who am I without you? The influence of romantic breakup on the self-concept. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 36, 147–160.
36.
SnyderJ. J. (1993). Marrying for life: The challenge of creating a lasting friendship. Saratoga, CA: R & E Publishers.
37.
SpielmannS. S.MacDonaldG.WilsonA. E. (2009). On the rebound: Focusing on someone new helps anxiously attached individuals let go of ex-partners. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 35, 1382–1394.
38.
TashiroT.FrazierP. (2003). “I’ll never be in a relationship like that again”: Personal growth following romantic relationship breakups. Personal Relationships, 10, 113–128.
39.
WangH.AmatoP. R. (2000). Predictors of divorce adjustment: Stressors, resources, and definitions. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 62, 655–668.
40.
WickramaK. A. S.LorenzF. O.CongerR. D.ElderG. H.AbrahamW. T.FangS. A. (2006). Changes in family financial circumstances and the physical health of married and recently divorced mothers. Social Science and Medicine, 63, 123–136.
41.
WolfingerN. H. (2007). Does the rebound effect exist? Time to remarriage and subsequent union stability. Journal of Divorce and Remarriage, 46, 9–20.
42.
WortmanC. B.SilverR. C. (1989). The myths of coping with loss. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 57, 349–357.
Supplementary Material
Please find the following supplemental material available below.
For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.
For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.
